Brenda said:
<<<First, the museum was given an old rusty railroad shovel.  Half of the staff wants to remove the rust with steel wool and then seal the shovel with polyurethane or something appropriate for the job.  The other half of the staff wants to take a wheel to remove the rust and paint it black with rust-o-leum.  What should they do to best preserve this shovel?

Second, they were given an old roll top desk.  Half of the staff wants to refinish the old desk.  The other half wishes to remove a layer or two of old finish.  What is the appropriate course to take? >>>

*****

Brenda,

Please tell your friend that neither option is appriopriate in either case.  Before anything is done a furniture conservator should be consulted for the desk and an objects conservator should be consulted for the shovel, but in general intrusive measures such as those suggested should not be undertaken lightly, if at all.

Regarding the desk:

From AIC (American Institute on Conservation) guidelines on caring for historic furniture
http://aic.stanford.edu/treasure/furn.html
"Stripping and refinishing furniture is no longer standard practice. An early finish is as important to historic furniture as are legs or any other element. The finish coating offers important data to researchers and is part of the history of the object and once it is removed, it cannot be recovered. It is also desirable to be able to observe on a piece of furniture patterns of wear that indicate the history of use, which stripping and refinishing can obliterate. The appearance of old finishes can often be enhanced without completely removing them by using cleaning materials tailored for specific conditions. The removal and replacement of a surface finish is considered a last ditch effort after other conservation methods have failed. An aged finish, with a patina that only time can produce, can greatly add to the beauty of an object. The primary goal of any treatment should be to maintain the patina of age."

Regarding the shovel:
From AIC guidelines on caring for metal objects
http://aic.stanford.edu/treasure/metals.html
"Metal objects should be kept free of dust, debris, and oily residues. In general, it is not a good idea to routinely polish or aggressively clean metal pieces. Each time a piece is polished or cleaned a thin layer of the surface is ground off by the abrasives in the polish, or is dissolved away by strong chemicals in cleaning solutions. Repeated polishing or cleaning with chemicals such as dipping solutions will gradually eat away plating, surface decoration, engraving, maker's marks, and monograms. Eventually, holes will form in the body of the metal object. As an example, many people will use a wire brush on an electric drill to clean away rust on old iron objects like tools. This is very aggressive and may remove important surface features like the maker's stamps or historically important signs of use. It is best to use the most mild and non-abrasive methods for cleaning metals. For more specific information about how to clean your special object, contact a professional objects conservator. "

I would highly encourage them to contact a conservator for each piece and get an opinion on the best course of action.  A conservator may have an idea of how to accomplish what they want without causing more harm or losing historic integrity to the objects.  

There are several articles, available at the following sites, where more information can be obtained:
http://www.hfmgv.org/research/cis/pfs.html
http://www.si.edu/scmre/takingcare/guidelines.htm
http://www.collectioncare.org/index.html 
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/genpub/
http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html

Erin



_______________________________________________
Erin Quinn
Collections Coordinator
City of Greeley Museums
919 7th Street
Greeley, CO 80631
(970) 350-9218
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